Lean On Me
by greengirl82
Summary: A series of oneshots about being there for the one you love... Hotch/Emily
1. Cabin Fever

**Lean On Me**

Disclaimer: I've never owned Criminal Minds, that's all CBS.

Summary: The team gets separated so Hotch, Emily, JJ and Dave are forced to bunk up at a cabin and someone gets an idea...

A/N: I had planned to do something similar to this later on, but when given this prompt, how can I resist.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review.

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"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it." Thucydides

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Emily sighed as the four plopped down on the small couch. They were all somewhat battered and bruised from the small scuffle of their SUV had with the snowy weather.

"God, I'm bored," JJ called out, stretching her injured leg across Emily's lap, "What do we do?"

"Well, it is pretty late," Dave said, "We could always get some rest and hope that tomorrow the snow melted enough so that we can rejoin the team."

Hotch nodded, "Sounds like a plan. There's four rooms here, so unless anyone wants to bunk up, it looks like we'll all be sleeping solo."

Emily internally sighed hearing that. She knew she had it bad and couldn't continue on with these feelings for him with the never knowing possibility.

She felt like a woman possessed, or worse yet, a damn stalker. All because she was head over heels in love with her boss, Aaron Hotchner.

The belief that she had these emotions compartmentalized and under control were failing her. She could feel the walls closing in and the boxes that she stored those emotions were starting to crack. She only ever felt her control slip twice before regarding him.

The first time was after the car bombing in New York, which temporarily damaged his ears and the other was with the Foyet fiasco.

She searched high and low for him with the intended purpose of bringing him in to help on the case but the second she was alone it was all Hotch, all the time.

_'God, how freaking pathetic.'_ She berated herself.

Over the past few years she had thought that he had somewhat reciprocated her feelings, but when she found out that he had been involved with a woman from a park, she knew that was a bust.

Even after hearing that he and the brunette woman had broken up a few weeks ago she still felt like that it would be a really bad idea to pursue him.

Unfortunately her hormones were at war with her common sense and they were determined to get him no matter what.

Being pulled from her reverie, she heard JJ call out to her a few times while Hotch and Dave were checking on the fire burning in the fire place.

"Em?" JJ called out softly, her injured foot tapping Emily's knee, "Em, you ok?"

"Hmm?" Emily as her eyes left their team leaders amble behind to the smirking blonde, "What?"

Grinning at her, "You know what."

Emily rolled her dark brown eyes, and pinched the blonde's knee causing her to jerk and glare at her brunette friend.

"Ow, that hurt." JJ replied rubbing her knee.

"Come on, let's get you into the room, hop-a-long" Emily said, carefully moving JJ's leg as she got off the couch and gave the blonde a hand to help her up.

"Night" JJ called over to the two men.

"Night, JJ." Dave replied, "Emily."

Emily gave one last good look to Hotch, admiring the sweat pants wearing man, in his Harvard shirt and nodded at him as she ushered JJ to her room.

As soon as the two women were safely in the confines of the private room, JJ flopped on to the bed and looked at her older friend.

"All right, spill it." JJ ordered, "What's going on with you?"

Emily kept her face neutral, trying to placate the pounding in her own chest, "Nothing, why?"

JJ rolled her blue eyes, "I'm a profiler now, remember? I know."

Biting the inside of her cheek, "Know what?"

JJ picked up the small pillow beside her and tossed it at her friend, "I know you've got feelings for Hotch. How long?"

Taking a deep breath, she tossed the pillow back on the bed, "Since the day I joined the team."

Raising an eyebrow at that, "Even when he was being a total dick to you?"

Sitting down at the vanity, she turned to look at her friend, "Especially then. God, this is bad. I've been able to control my feelings for years, but here in this cabin..."

"You just want to rip that Harvard shirt off him and bang him" JJ finished with a grin, "Good for you. You both deserve to be happy."

Rubbing her hands against her pajama pants, "But he doesn't feel the same way, Jayje. He was dating that woman from the park..."

JJ's nose crinkled at that, it was obvious that the blonde didn't think highly of Hotch's short time paramour either, "So? He's single now, good thing too. I didn't like the idea of him dating some random stranger."

Even Emily was surprised at that, the former media liaison and the Unit Chief were close, like brother and sister, and if she didn't think it was a good idea that he dated some random woman...

"I never liked her any ways," JJ told her, surprising the brunette, "Something about her seemed fake. Like she was trying too hard. Not that I'm saying she was some horrible woman, but being fake is the worst thing a person could be."

"Oh," Emily replied.

"You should go for it," JJ told her, "Make a move on him."

Emily nearly fell out of the seat at that, "Excuse me? Make a move on him?" seeing JJ nod, "God this isn't high school, I can't just beat him up and steal his lunch money."

JJ's eyes widen at that, "What kind of high school did you go to?" shaking her head, "I know he likes you, Em. I know it, it's a feeling. You should just sneak in a move, like when he goes out to check on the fire, and just coyly flirt with him. Who knows maybe you'll even get lucky on the trip."

Rolling her eyes, "Might as well just slip into his bedroom and hop into bed with him. Like that'll ever happen."

JJ smirked at that, "That's a great idea. I remember I heard him telling Dave that he wished that Beth would have been spontaneous."

Emily's witting banter came back in force, while her heart sped up at the thought of being in bed with Hotch, "Yeah, right. Nothing screams spontaneity like climbing into bed with my boss. I'm sure he'll be so grateful that he'll fire me."

Shaking her head, "You've got to live a little" JJ said propping her foot under a pillow, "How else are you going to get what you want? By wishing on a shooting star? This isn't a fairy tale, Em, you have to fight for what you want."

"Good night, Jayje" Emily said walking to the door, "If your leg bothers you, call me."

"So you can ice it down?" JJ asked pondering the idea of her friend waiting on her hand and foot, "Oh, one more thing. Hotch is a heavy sleeper, so if you decide to go in there and have a little fun..."

Emily's jaw dropped open at that, "Are you telling me to take advantage of our boss?"

"No," JJ told her emphatically, "I'm telling you not to let a good thing pass you by."

Walking out of the bedroom, she wondered what the hell she was going to do, go for it or just stay in silence.

Emily rolled over on her side, sighing. Not only could she not sleep because it was still too cold but she also had a raging case of insomnia mixed in with whenever she tried to close her eyes and count some sheep all she saw was a shirtless Hotch chopping wood.

"God, this is nuts," Emily muttered to herself, looking at the digital clock on the head-board, "Three a.m."

Sitting up, she slipped into her slippers and grabbed her zipped up hoodie, as she made her way over to the bedroom door.

Turning the knob, she could hear the sound of multiple snoring. One she immediately recognized as JJ's and the other, had to be Dave's since it was coming from the direction of his room.

She wandered down the hall, intent on double checking on the fireplace and to grab herself some water when she heard a distinct thud bang against the wall.

She walked down the hall quietly checking in on both JJ and Dave who were sound asleep, snoring. Not that either agent would ever admit that.

As she went to check in on Hotch, she felt a smile grace her face at the sight of the sleeping man. He never looked more peaceful than that moment, and she thought he looked so good looking.

She couldn't resist going over to the side of his bed, and had to resist reaching out to touch his cheek. That would be totally awkward if he awoke to find her staring at him.

Backing away from the bed, she turned to leave when she heard a small groan. Turning quickly she could see Hotch struggling against the blankets almost as though he were battling some unknown force.

She recognized that fear, he was having a nightmare.

A tiny whimper escaped his lips, and before she could control herself she crawled into bed next to him, and felt him instinctively pull her close to him.

To say she were surprise would be an understatement, she could hear the whimper again, and rubbing her hand over his shirt covered chest, she soothingly hushed him.

"It's ok, Hotch" Emily whispered, "It's ok."

She tensed when she felt him wake up, surprised but not angry to find his brunette agent in his arms.

"Emily?" Hotch's voice sounded husky even to his own ears, "What are you doing in my bed?"

Biting her lip, she could feel the intensity of his stare, "You were having a nightmare,"

"I was?" he asked, the images flooding his mind and he remembered it, "Sorry if I woke you. But why are you in my bed?"

"I did the only thing I could think of to stop you from screaming out" Emily answered, half honestly, "Holding someone close usually stops them for me." she could feel her face turning crimson as he stared at her, "Sorry, about that. I'm going to let you back to sleep."

Emily pushed herself to sit up, only to feel Hotch's hands pull her back down to him.

Hotch held on to her tightly, "If you wanted to get into bed with me, all you had to was ask."

That caused Emily to look over and see a smirk on Hotch's face, "Are you kidding me?"

Running his free hand up and down her arm, "No, I'm not. Ever since I ended things with Beth... even before that, I've had feelings for you."

Emily was stunned by that admission, "You what?"

"I have feelings for you" Hotch repeated, "But I was afraid that you'd turn me down."

Licking her lower lip, Emily could see and actually understand the genuine emotion that wafted from him, and moving her hand up to his chin, she gave him a smile.

"You know you're really a sweet guy." Emily told him, "And any woman would be lucky to be with you."

Hotch rolled on his side, looking over at her, "Even you?"

Giving him a wry smile, "Even me."

Hotch leaned in and kissed her on the nose, "Good to know." he gave her a crooked smile, "When we get back to Quantico, would you like to grab something to eat?"

Raising an eyebrow at him, "Are you asking me out?"

"Only if you say yes" Hotch told her watching the smile on her face.

Nuzzling her head against his shoulder, "Yes."

"Then it's a date" Hotch whispered softly, feeling the brunette's breathing pattern change as sleep took over, "It's a date."

He felt himself being lulled to sleep but content, knowing that he had something to look forward to in the morning, her.

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"Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death." Omar Bradley

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**To Be Continued...**

I hope you all enjoyed this, don't forget to leave a review.


	2. A Late Night Call

**Lean On Me**

Disclaimer: CBS and their affiliates own Criminal Minds...

Summary: What happens when you get a late night call after a bad case?

A/N: Here's the newest chapter, it takes place post episode "A Thin Line", enjoy.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review.

* * *

Fran Lebowitz said, "Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep."

* * *

Emily slowly but carefully rolled on to her side, mindful of the injured armed that has yet to heal.

Shaking her head, she got up groaning because of the reason for the unexpected wake up call at three in the morning.

Grumbling as she trudged slowly towards her ringing cell phone, sleep still filled her mind.

She was cursing the unwanted caller in every language known to man and some that she had made up.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered, nearly tripping over Sergio who lounged on the top stairs, "Watch it, Serge."

As she continued on down the stairs, she winced when her shin collided with the end table, "Goddamn it."

Reaching into her go bag, she pulled out the ringing device, "What?"

"Emily?" Hotch said warily, "Are you ok?"

"It's three in the morning, I nearly broke my neck over my cat getting to this phone and I was having a peaceful sleep, so you tell me?" she barked out, instantly feeling guilty.

"Sorry," Hotch murmured, "I just wanted to check up on you."

"Jeez Hotch, I'm sorry" she apologized, "It's just one of those days."

"I understand, that's why I was calling to check up," he told her, "I'll let you get back to sleep..."

"No, no. It's ok," she assured him, "Are you all right?"

Hotch chuckled at that, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? After all you were the one that got shot."

"Grazed," she corrected, smirking, "Glad to see my getting wounded on the job can make you laugh."

"Emily," he chided.

"I knew it. I knew that you knew how to say my first name," she teased, with a wry laugh, "But in all seriousness, this last case seemed to hit you hard. You know with children."

"You weren't even in the field during the Howard case," Hotch queried, puzzled, "How did you know?"

"Just because I sat at the station doing geographical profiles and fielding calls back and forth with the team and gathered information doesn't mean I'm any less of an excellent profiler," she replied.

"I'm sorry," Hotch sighed, "And I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Don't be, I needed to get up anyways. That pain medication knocked me out for a couple of hours," she told him, "But I'm awake now. Do you want to talk about it?"

She could hear his hesitation but she pressed on, "You know when you told me a few weeks ago to tell you if I'm having a bad day? That can go both ways."

"I don't want to burden you with my problems" Hotch replied, hearing the woman groan in frustration, "I mean I understand that it's hard for you to open up about this stuff..."

"Hotch, we're friends, and this is what friends do," she told him, "Being there for each other."

"Are you sure?" he asked her.

"Hotch, would you be this hesitant if it were me calling you up this late because I didn't want to talk about it?" she asked "Look, I'm here and I'm up. I think it would do you some good to talk about it."

"Ok" he started, then paused, "Would you like to come over?"

That threw her, during their other late night calls, they had always taken place over the phone, not in person.

Hearing her pause, he quickly covered, "It was probably a stupid idea..."

"I'll be over," she said, standing up, "Is Jack there?"

"Yeah, but he can sleep through an earthquake, so don't worry about waking him up with the doorbell." Hotch chuckled.

"All be right there," she said, hanging up her cell phone.

She didn't know why, but her heart was pounding, and she scolded herself for her wandering mind when her friend needed her at a time of need.

Carefully putting on her zip up hoodie, she decided against wearing the sling, she didn't want the attention focused on her own pain if Hotch was in need.

Clearing her throat as she stood before his apartment door, she schooled her features remembering how he told her Jack is a heavy sleeper and rang the doorbell.

Hotch opened the door with a smile on his face, "Thanks for coming over."

"No problem" she said, walking in, trying not to show pain as she remove her hooded sweater, and setting it on the sofa, "Are you ready to talk?"

Sitting down, he patted the cushion beside him, "I guess so. Though I'm not very good at opening up about my feelings."

Snorting she shot him a look, "Tell me something I don't know."

Narrowing his eyes, "Do you want to hear about it or not?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, "Ok, sorry. Go ahead."

"I know this job isn't exactly easy or fun" Hotch began, then paused, "But there's only two other time that I've been scared..."

"Foyet" Emily said, nodding.

"And Doyle" Hotch said, looking over at the brunette, "Nearly losing you again, and this time to some twenty something serial killer" hitching his breath, "I couldn't breath when I got the call from Morgan that you were shot."

Furrowing her eyebrows, "I thought you couldn't sleep because of the Howard case" Emily said, "About the children?"

Nodding his head, "That's one of the reasons..." sighing, "I was lying in bed, thinking about those children and Howard and my mind thought back to all the horrific monsters out there. Howard, Trevor Mills, Doyle, Foyet..."

Emily took a deep breath, placing her warm hand on his, "They're dead now, Hotch. They can't hurt anyone ever again."

He wrapped his hand around her smaller one, taking note at just how petite his brunette agent was, and how beautiful. Even without make up, she was still beautiful.

"I know" he murmured, "I know."

She noticed that he seemed more at ease and relaxed, though he did look a little runned down, "Come on, Hotch. Lets get you to bed."

His eyebrow quirked at that, making her roll her eyes, "Not like that, you pervert."

A smirk graced his face as he stood up, but then faltered, "Do you think you can stay awhile? I don't think I could sleep unless I know you were safe, here with me."

Emily licked her lip but nodded, "Ok, this couch looks comfy enough for me..."

"No" he said, "I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch, especially not after you've been shot. You take my bed."

She opened her mouth, ready to protest, "Emily, you've got the bad arm."

"And you look like you haven't slept in a month" Emily told him ignoring the scoffed he emitted, "We're friends, so we could be professional and share the same bed without someone deciding grab ass."

Hotch chuckled at that, allowing the brunette to lead him down the hallway.

Jack awoke a few hours later, and looked at the big red digital clock, and frowned.

He didn't know why he was up but all he wanted was his dad.

Walking out of his bedroom and padding down the hall, he opened the bedroom door, pleasantly surprised to see his Emmy asleep next to his dad.

That brought a smile to the little boy's face, he loved Emily and missed her when she went into hiding.

As the small boy made his way over to the foot of the bed, he crawled on the bed between the two adult brunettes and snuggled down next to Emily.

As he was about to fall asleep he looked over at his father and noticed that the man was watching as Emily wrapped her good arm around him, pulling him close to her, and he swear he could see a smile on his face.

But Jack was far too tired to think about it, and fell asleep content between the two adults he loved more than anything else in the world and felt safe right where he was between his two favorite heroes.

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"A real friend is someone who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Walter Winchell

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**To Be Continued...**

I hope you enjoyed this short post episode story, don't forget to leave a review


	3. Talkin' Bout Night Moves

**Lean On Me**

Disclaimer: CBS owns Criminal Minds, but I own the series on DVD.

Summary: Hotch reacts to Emily's near death experiences after the San Francisco case and her interactions with Mick Rawson

A/N: This chapter takes place post "**The Fight**" which had always been a favorite episode of mine. So here's the story.

Thanks for reading, I hope you like it enough to leave a review.

* * *

"If malice or envy were tangible and had a shape, it would be the shape of a boomerang." Charley Reese

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Hotch set down the beer he had sipped on, and looked up and saw his team relaxed, joking around with Sam Cooper's team.

They were a bunch of great agents and he liked them all except for one. His eyes narrowed when he when he saw Emily chuckle at something Mick Rawson said.

Walking past the small group he heard the younger man's British accent say, "This one's going to have a hard time getting over men."

"Like kicking a virus." Emily retorted, in a witty manner.

That brought a small sense of relief in him, she didn't like him.

But he paused when he heard the underlying tone as they talked. The man saved her life, he shouldn't have any reason to not like him. Except he did, they had chemistry, it was plan as day.

He had overheard JJ earlier, make a passing remark about Emily and Mick being perfect for each other. And that nearly caused Hotch to have a massive heart attack on the spot.

"Hey, Hotch" Morgan called out pulling him from his thoughts, "We're thinking of going out to grab a bite, you in?"

"No, thanks" Hotch said, "We've got to catch the jet early in the morning. Everyone rest up, ok?"

"All right" Morgan called out with a shrug.

Hotch noticed both Dave and Cooper shoot him a look, seeing his attention was on Emily and Mick.

"Princess, you in?" Morgan called out, seeing her frown, "We're going to grab some dinner."

Looking at Mick, she shook her head, "Nah, I've got to ice up my back."

"What happened to your back?" Reid asked.

"She decided to play chicken with the car and lost" Mick teased.

Emily raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me, but who was chasing a suspect while someone was sitting their butt up on a roof?"

Morgan chuckled at that, "Oh ho. My princess for the win."

Morgan high fives Emily, who turned to give Mick a smug look only to notice Hotch's eyes watching her intently.

She internally gulped at that, 'Yep, Prentiss. Hotch will plan to give you a long talk about getting hit by cars.'

"All right, you guys have fun" Emily said, "JJ, I'll see you when you come back to the room."

"I'll try not to wake you up" JJ told the brunette after the others out to the SUV.

Emily looked briefly around and noticed that Hotch wasn't there anymore, she sighed. She had avoided the long talk for now.

"So, what do you want to do to pass the time?" Mick asked putting on his coat, "We can order some dessert and a little adult entertainment."

Emily raised an eyebrow as she tossed her beer bottle away, "I told you, I'm going to bed..."

"Really?" Mick said smirking.

"Alone." Emily added, "See you on the jet in the morning."

Emily walked out of the elevator, pulling her hotel key card out and opened her door.

She winced when she pulled her coat off of her, she tossed it on the chair next to her.

All she wanted was to ice up her right hip and back, then get some much needed sleep.

Pulling her sweat pants and tank top on, she looked around for the ice bucket and hurried out of the room looking left and right seeing the coast clear.

As she passed the long hallway, she could hear the faint sound of kissing and looked over to see a maid and a bell hop engaged in making out causing the brunette to sigh and wonder if she'd ever find anyone of her own.

The brief thought of Mick, and smirked at the younger man's numerous flirting attempts. She didn't know if she did want to take him up on his offers but it was nice to be wanted and asked.

Another face popped into her head, but she shook it off, it was never going to happen.

To her there was no use in thinking about it. The most she could settle on was friendship, nothing more.

"Excuse me" a woman said from behind Emily, causing the brunette to turn around quickly, "May I?"

"Oh, sorry" Emily replied, grabbing her small ice bucket and walking back to her room.

As she clicked the key card to her door, she heard a distinct throat clearing causing her to turn around slightly startled.

"Jeez, Hotch" Emily said holding on to the ice bucket, "Give a girl a heart attack."

"Are you ok?" Hotch asked noticing her rubbing her side.

"I'm fine" Emily told him, turning around to place her key card in when he said something that caused her to turn around.

"Do you want to come in?" Hotch asked her.

"What?" Emily asked surprised.

"In my room?" Hotch asked her, "You look like you don't want to be alone."

He felt his heart tighten as she ponder the invite, nodding her head, accepting the invitation.

Stepping aside as she walked in, he briefly smelled a trace of vanilla from her lotion and his heart nearly leap out of his chest at the scent.

"Take a seat, while I get you a towel." Hotch said closing his door, and walking over to the small bathroom door.

Emily sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering what she was doing in here. He was her boss, they were barely even friends and now here she was sitting in his room.

"Here," Hotch said taking the ice bucket from her.

As he set it down on the small table folding up the small hand towel he pulled out a Ziploc bag and poured some of the ice into the baggie then he wrapped it up in the hand towel making her an ice poultice.

Turning to her, he sat beside her and lifted up her tank top.

"Hotch" Emily said startled by his forwardness, "It's ok, I've got it."

Hotch couldn't remove his eyes from the dark bruises on her lower side and hip bone. It was worst than he had imagined.

He had read from the incident report, and knew that while she and Mick had been chasing a suspect, she had been hit by a car but kept on chasing the suspect. Not even stopping to check herself out until the next day.

That impressed Hotch, and worried him. Her strength and dedication, it matched his own. He never realized how much they were alike until now.

It's what unknowingly drew him to her and makes him want her, and he doesn't want to lose that. He doesn't want to lose her especially not to some smug, cocky thirty year old British agent.

"Hotch," Emily said louder, pulling him out of his reverie.

He didn't even realize he had traced the bruised hip, going lower on her hip bone until he saw the confusion on her face.

"Are you ok?" Emily asked him, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I just realized that I could have lost you twice on this job," Hotch said shaking his head, "You get hit by a car then the next day you nearly get shot by a deranged sociopath. I don't think I could have handled that."

"Hey," Emily said placing her hands on his cheeks, causing his breath to stop, "I'm fine. I promise, I'm fine."

"A matter of seconds..." Hotch said his hand tenderly placing the poultice back on her skin, "A few brief seconds and you wouldn't be here."

Emily bit her lip, and nearly felt her hand jump when he placed his free hand on hers, stroking the skin lightly, making her blush at the contact.

"You don't know how relieved that you're ok." Hotch whispered, he licked his lip.

Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his chest and she could feel his racing heart, beating erratically. She didn't know why it was, but it made her feel somewhat relief at that.

"Emily," Hotch said bringing his hand up to his lips, lightly feathering her soft hand with kisses, "It wasn't just worry for my agent or friend."

"Hotch" Emily said, her own heart beating fast, "What do you want from me?"

"Seeing you with Rawson..." Hotch said his eyes darkening briefly at the other man's name, "Seeing the way he was flirting with you..."

"What?" she asked, her eyes narrowed at that, "Wait, were you jealous?"

"I was," Hotch admitted, "I don't like seeing him around you. Flirting with you like he has that right. And you were engaging him."

Emily bit her lip, "Why?"

"Because I wanted it to be me," Hotch said looking down at the dark bruise on her hip, touching it lightly, "I wanted to be the one that got to flirt with you, joke with you. I want to be the one that saves you from nearly getting killed."

Emily placed her hand under his chin to look into his eyes, she could see it. The honesty in his words, the sincerity behind them.

But she could also see the need and desire and that made her give him a reassuring smile. He really wanted her.

"Aaron" Emily said softly, not missing the way his eyes searched hers at the sound of his first name being spoken from her lips.

Leaning in, she gave him a soft kiss on the lips, which caused him to drop the poultice and grasped her shoulder bringing her in for another kiss.

As he deepened the kiss, he felt relieved that she wrapped her arms around his neck as he brought her down on to the bed.

His left hand went to the strap on her tank top, his mouth moved to it, nipping and lightly biting at the tender flesh.

Her moans of pleasure didn't deter him as her hand moved up to the back of his hair, lightly tugging on it. Her mouth seeking out his while his hands went to the hem of her tank top lifting it up and running his hands over her warm stomach.

"Aaron" Emily's husky tone, moaned out.

He chuckled as their tongues battled for dominance, to which she willingly gave into.

As he slowly raised her tank top up, pulling it from her frame, his hands went to her waist to pull off the sweat pants and he halted when he heard the whimper escape her lips.

Pulling back he saw how his hands gripped her waist and instantly hated himself for the action.

"Are you all right?" Hotch asked, looking in her eyes.

"I'm fine," Emily told him, cupping his cheeks, "Just a little sore but I'm fine."

Hotch dropped his head to her shoulder, "I guess this wasn't such a good idea..."

Emily tensed, "You regret this?"

Looking up at her, "No, never. I want this, you, more than anything in the world. But..." Hotch said lifting his head to look at her, "We shouldn't rush into this. I want this to be special and about us."

Emily smiled, as she ran her thumb across his cheek bones, "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, Aaron."

Hotch dropped his head into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent that was all her.

"I think you're right" Emily said softly, "As much as I want to do this, and I really, really do I think it'd be better until my hip gets better."

Hotch looked up at her, rolling over to lie beside her, "I think so." Hotch pulled her into his arms, "But that doesn't mean we can't do this."

Emily laughed as Hotch brought his mouth back down to hers, "Mm, now that's an excellent idea."

The two finally felt a sense of what they had missed for so long, and how complete they felt now that they were safely content wrapped in each others arms.

* * *

George Bernard Shaw said, "Waste not jealousy on a real man: it is the imaginary man that supplants us all in the long run."

* * *

**Until Next Time...**

I hoped you all liked this, don't forget to feed the little review button down there...


	4. Comfort All Around

**Lean On Me**

Disclaimer: CBS owns Criminal Minds...

Summary: Everything seems to be happening at once regarded around change and death. Now Hotch and Emily have a heart to heart about it.

A/N: So this post episode to "**Epilogue**", I hope you all like it...

Thanks for reading, you know a review would be nice too. :)

* * *

"If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character... Would you slow down? Or speed up?" Chuck Palahniuk

* * *

Emily sat down next to Hotch on the jet, she could see his eyes wandering over to Dave, worry etched in the dark brown eyes.

Setting the coffee in front of him, she quietly observed Hotch's stare.

"He has a lot on his mind," Emily murmured softly, watching as Hotch turned his gaze on to her, "I know how much you're worried about him."

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Hotch asked keeping his voice down, trying not to wake the sleeping team.

"Yeah," Emily said, "He told me earlier."

Hotch could see the concern on her face as her eyes wandered over to the silent Dave, who seemed intent to re-read the same paragraph in a book.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hotch asked, seeing her play with the rim of her plastic tea cup.

Emily looked up at him, "It's not my place to tell. But he had an important decision to make soon, and he's worried that whatever choice he makes won't be the right one."

"Is this about Carolyn?" Hotch asked softly not wanting Dave to overhear their conversation, "I know that they were having dinner together the other night."

"Yeah," Emily said, "It didn't really turn out the way he wanted. Sometimes life just not fair, it robs you of your choices and takes away your ability to have control over anything. This case hit a little too close to home for everyone"

Hotch could sense she wasn't just talking about Dave and his ex-wife, but of herself too.

"Emily?" Hotch said turning to face her, he seen her gaze went from Dave to the sleeping Reid on the couch next to them, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Emily exhaled, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Hotch said.

"You don't have to answer if your uncomfortable..." Emily said not seeing his interest peaked at that, "But when... Foyet stabbed you... And you passed out, did you see anything?"

"No," Hotch said visibly tensing at the memory, "I didn't die, I just... I was awake. He made sure to stab me in places that wouldn't inflict life threatening damages."

"Sorry." Emily said softly looking back over to Dave, then to Reid, JJ and Morgan.

Sensing the awkward silence she said, "We sure now how to pick them don't we?"

"Huh?" Hotch asked confused by her questioning.

"The team," Emily said nodding to the team, "We sure now how to draw in the crazies. I mean we've all been targeted by one or more at a time. Me with Doyle, you and Foyet, Reid with Hankle, Morgan with the Prince of Darkness. JJ got hit on the back of the head by that unstable fan and Dave... Well Dave's been lucky he only got that freaky Professor Rothschild."

Hotch narrowed his eyes as his finger tip went to his mouth, removing it, "Dear God we're all doomed."

Emily raised an eyebrow when she seen a smirk come across his face, "Did you just make a joke?"

Hotch nodded, "Yes, I just made a joke."

Hotch shook his head, when she raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, scoffing, "Really?"

Hotch leaned forward in the seat across from her, whispering, "You know I have been known to make jokes from time to time."

"Now that would be a surprise." Emily said looking down and noticing the difference in him, "You have been full of surprises lately."

"How so?" Hotch asked rolling up the light blue sleeves on his shirt.

"Well there's one right there," Emily pointed out, "You went suit-less this case."

Hotch looked down at his appearance, "Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

Emily chuckled as she shook her head, "No, it's a good look on you."

Raising an eyebrow at that, "Not to say that you never look not good... Crap, I'm going to shut up now."

"Thanks for that," Hotch laughed lightly, "It's a good feeling, knowing that I'm being appreciated in the looks department."

Lifting up her drink, "Don't get too cocky on me Hotch, you're not my type."

Scoffing lightly, "Yeah, like I believe that." Hotch said, looking at her with a smirk on his face, "Like I haven't noticed you checking me out..."

Emily coughed on her tea, trying to remain quiet not to wake up the sleeping people while the burning stinged her throat.

Hotch got up and lightly hit her on her back while Dave looked over with concern.

"Is she all right?" Dave asked putting the small photo in his book, as he leaned over to Emily, "Are you all right?"

Emily nodded trying to control her cough, "I'll be fine. Just went down the wrong way."

"Oh, ok." Dave said turning back, "Be careful."

Hotch sat back down, watching as the brunette glared up at him, "Death by choking to death is not on my list of ways to go out."

Rolling his eyes, "Well, I told you I had a sense of humor."

"A sick one at that," Emily muttered, "That's a side of you I didn't know existed."

Hotch picked up his cup, pausing before taking a sip, "There's a lot of me you haven't seen."

"Hmph," Emily grunted softly sipping lightly at the tea trying to sooth her sore throat.

Hotch lightly cleared his throat causing her to look up at him, "Sorry, it's just you're always are having a fun time teasing Reid, Morgan and the others. I wanted you to see that I can relax and have fun too."

Emily sighed, "Hotch, I know you can. I've seen that before."

"Well we're friends and I just want to see my friend smile," Hotch said, "Earlier during the case, what you and Reid said about your experiences..."

"I know," Emily cut him off, raising her hand, they both paused when they saw Reid move around frantically on the long couch, "He's having a nightmare."

Hotch nodded, he could tell that bringing up that particularly painful part of Reid's time with Hankle was liable to bring up bad memories.

Emily got up, picking up the discarded blanket on the floor she bent down to cover the younger agent, she smiled down at him. A smile hit her face as she looked over at Reid, so young and innocent, almost like a small child but so wise beyond his years.

Reid nuzzled his face into the pillow, his sigh of content even made Hotch smile at the sight of her tender actions with their youngest agent.

Emily turned around to head back to her seat when she seen the look on Hotch's face, "What?"

Hotch shook his head, "You're great with him. It seems almost natural, like a maternal instinct."

"It's always been easy with him," Emily said softly looking over at Reid, "Even when he was angry with me. There was always this connection."

She saw Hotch nod in understanding, but could tell he wanted to know how they were all connected.

"Reid grew up without his father, and well we know how sick his mother's been" Emily said, "It was similar with my father, he was gone before I could even remember him and my mother... well you've met her. She gave me the best of everything except the one thing all children need."

"Love." Hotch finished, "We're all guilty of that." Looking around on the jet, "We all seclude within ourselves, trying keep the hurt out but in the end we all gather comfort from each other."

Both Emily and Hotch looked over noticing that Dave had fallen asleep holding his newspaper.

"I hope he's going to be ok," Hotch said, "And I'm glad that he has someone to talk to, to lean on."

Emily licked her lower lip, "Whatever choice he makes, he'll need all of us."

"And we all will be there for him," Hotch said reaching over to touch her hand, "We all dropped the ball protecting you, when it mattered the most, we're not going to let that ever happen again."

Emily gave him a small smile, "Yeah."

Hotch seen Emily look back over at Dave, worried worn on her face, but when Hotch gave her a comforting squeeze she relaxed. She knew that none of them were ever going to let any of them feel alone again, they had each other.

* * *

"We need others. We need others to love and we need to be loved by them. There is no doubt that without it, we too, like the infant left alone, we cease to grow, cease to develop, choose madness and even death." Leo F. Buscaglia

* * *

**To Be Continued...**

Well I hope you all liked this post episode to **Epilogue**, leave a review and let me know what you think...


	5. Trip Down Memory Lane

**Lean On Me**

Disclaimer: CBS owns Criminal Minds...

Summary: While in couples counseling, Hotch and Emily take a trip down memory lane...

A/N: Here's another little chapter in this series, enjoy.

Thanks as always for reading, don't forget to review.

* * *

"We do not remember days; we remember moments." Cesare Pavese

* * *

"So what brings you two here today?" Dr. Williams asked the dark-haired couple.

"Well," Emily sighed picking at her nails, "We've been sort of fighting a lot lately."

"Anything in particular?" Dr. Williams asked "Or is it a lot of little things?"

"I asked her to marry me," Hotch answered folding his arms in a defensive manner, "And she said she didn't think she could do the engaged thing again."

"So Emily you were engaged before?" the doctor asked looking down at his notepad.

"Yeah" Emily scoffed lightly smoothing down the back of her hair, "That really didn't pan out."

Hotch looked over at Emily with a raised eyebrow while that moment flashed before her eyes.

_"Well there's something I want to tell you."_ Ian Doyle murmured lightly.

_"Ok."_ Emily said lightly watching as Doyle pulled something out from his light brown jacket.

_"I was going to get you the ring,"_ Ian chuckled lightly, lifting the Gimmel rings for her to see _"But you said you're not the marrying type."_

A smile graced her face, _"It's... it's beautiful."_

_"Look at me,"_ Doyle admitted, _"I am Valhalla. No idea the type of life we're going to have but I just want you in mine."_

"Well it seemed to have made a lasting impact on your life," the doctor observed, "Lucky for you that it didn't work out."

"Lucky for all of us," Hotch muttered folding his arms across his chest "She was engaged to a terrorist."

The doctor shot Emily a look of shock which made the brunette roll her dark eyes at the two men, annoyed that her history was being dragged up again.

"As part of an Interpol mission." Emily informed her doctor folding her arms in annoyance, "Next question, please."

"Do you two realize how similar you both are?" Dr. Williams commented observing the couples mannerisms.

"What?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow.

Pointing to their crossed arms, both looked over at the other, quickly unfolding their arms in embarrassment.

"Is this unusual in your relationship?" Dr. Williams asked "The fighting?"

"No" Hotch replied, while Emily answered, "Yes."

Both look over at each other, while Emily gave him a look.

"We just reunited from a lengthy separation," Hotch said wording himself carefully, "After a year of hell."

"Tell me about it," Emily muttered, taking a deep breath.

"You separated?" Dr. Williams asked "Why?"

"Not by choice." Emily said seeing Hotch look distant for a moment.

_"She never made it off the table."_ JJ said with tears in her eyes.

Reid quickly gets up, trying to walk past the blonde hoping to leave the silent and eerie waiting room.

_"Spence,"_ JJ softly murmured.

_"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."_ Reid achingly whispered.

"I don't want to think about that," Emily emphatically replied, biting the inside of her cheek, her gaze falling upon the wall next to her with plaques and medical school diplomas.

"Aaron, I see from the questionnaire that you filled out, you were once married before," Dr Williams said, "Do you believe that your divorce have anything to Emily's turning down your proposal?"

Hotch sighed as he remembered coming home to an empty house.

_"Haley?"_ Hotch called out.

"No," Emily said "That has nothing to do with it."

Hotch looked over at her relieved.

"Maybe it would be better if we start at the beginning. When you first met?" Dr. Williams said "You had come in for a position on his team?"

_"Agent Hotchner?"_ Emily said smiling as she struggled to carry her box.

_"Yes?" _Hotch said, standing up as she placed the box in the visitor's chair.

_"Agent Emily Prentiss,"_ the brunette smiled, extending her hand for a handshake.

_"How do you do."_ Hotch greeted the younger woman, _"Oh, you're uh, Ambassador Prentiss' daughter, right? I did security clearances for your mother's staff. One of my first commands. I believe you were off to Brown at the time."_

_"Actually it was Yale."_ Emily corrected him with a smile.

_"Ah."_ Hotch said.

_"I've been in_ _the Bureau almost ten years now."_ Emily replied.

_"Don't tell me it's been that long."_ Hotch said.

Emily lightly laughed_ "Apparently sir. But I've worked mostly in the Midwest, St. Louis, Chicago."_

Hotch nodded, _"Are your parents well?"_

_"Yeah, yeah" _she answered politely,_ "They're great."_

Nodding,_ "What can I do for you?"_

_"Uh, well I was wondering if you could tell me where to put my stuff?"_ Emily said.

_"Sorry?"_ Hotch asked, confused.

Looking confused herself, Emily opens up the box lid, _"I'm suppose to start here today, at the BAU." _Emily handed him the paper work.

Hotch's pleasant demeanor immediately dropped, _"There's been a mistake."_

_"I don't think so, sir."_ Emily answered, confused by the cool attitude,

_"There's definitely been a mistake."_ Hotch replied looking at the paperwork.

Hotch looked over to see Emily biting the inside of her cheek while she picked at her nail.

"Can we speed this along?" Hotch said feeling guilt "Skip over the childhood part and go straight to what's wrong  
with us?"

Dr. Williams sighed as he nodded, "So you told me how you first met. Now how about the first time you felt something change  
in your partnership."

"How so?" Emily asked.

"When you noticed that you were more worried than the average co-worker?" Dr. Williams asked "Do you have any of those memories?"

"A few." Hotch replied looking over at Emily.

Hotch walked over to the back of the ambulance seeing Emily's head covered in blood.

_"How's your head?"_ Hotch asked seeing the paramedic clean her up.

_"I'll live."_ Emily said looking up at him _"Is it weird I'm glad to be back?"_

_"I'll make sure it stays official."_ Hotch replied walking away.

"Do you have any kind of those memories Emily?" Dr. Williams asked looking over at the brunette.

Emily knocked on Hotch's apartment door waiting for him to answer.

_"Hotch? It's me, Emily."_ Emily said.

Pulling out her cell phone she dialed his number, only to hear the ringing coming from inside.

Pushing at the door, she pulled out her gun and went inside to see he had arrived home seeing his keys and briefcase.

Shocked raced through her when she saw the bullet hole and blood on the carpet.

"Yeah," Emily said coming out of that memory, "I have some unforgettable memories."

Seeing that look on her face pulled Hotch into another memory.

A soaking wet Emily walked into Hotch's office as he turned around and saw her.

_"What's wrong?"_ Hotch asked, his heart immediately concerned for his agent.

_"I just found out that..."_ Emily said, trying to maintain composure, _"An old friend of mine died."_

_"I'm sorry."_ Hotch told her, _"Do you need to take some time?"_

_"Um..."_ Emily said voice wavering _"There's a chance he could have been murdered and there maybe a second case."_

_"What do you need?"_ Hotch asked lightly.

_"Just some leeway to check it out."_ Emily said.

_"Of course."_ Hotch said "_Anything."_

_"Thank you." _Emily said turning to leave the office.

_"Emily, if you want to take a few days and let us check into it_..." Hotch said.

_"Matthew was..."_ Emily said sighing _"Incredibly messed up and I hadn't seen him in a long time but he was important to me."_

_"Then let us help."_ Hotch said.

Emily nodded and whispered_ "Thank you."_

"You two obviously love each other very much." Dr. Williams said, "The temper thing worries me though."

"I try to control my temper at times." Hotch said "It's not easy."

Hotch punched the dead corpse of Foyet, flashing back to Haley's face, Jack's and his stabbing.

_"Hotch, Hotch!"_ Morgan screamed out _"He's dead. Hotch stop, come on. It's over. It's over, it's over. It's ok."_

Hotch sobbed in Morgan's arms.

"Actually I was referring to Emily's temper." Dr. Williams said.

"I do not." Emily exclaimed.

"Oh no?" Hotch said lightly.

Emily elbowed Doyle in the gut, taking her cuffed hands over his neck and strangling him.

_"I beat you Ian. Before you even got out of North Korea, I beat you. Because I gave Declan his life back." _Emily said bringing him to his knees as she strangled him.

_"I'll find him." _Doyle grunted.

"No you won't," Emily said panting as she strangled him _"Ever since you told me my people had Fahey I've been stalling_  
_you."_

As the lights were cut, Emily and Doyle struggled but she picked up a piece of wood, beating him repeatedly in the face. After the wood split in two Doyle stabbed her in the abdomen.

Wincing at that memory, Emily said, "So maybe I do have a temper."

"It's not like I don't have one either," Hotch replied "But that's not our biggest problem."

"Do you have regrets?" Dr. Williams asked looking at the two "Of being together?"

"I regret so much." Hotch said looking over at Emily, "But I never regretted loving you."

"I love you." Emily said "Despite my flaws, which I don't have many of..." Emily chuckled "I never stopped loving you."

Dr. Williams smiled, "Now this is progress. Working through deep-seated issues."

"Thank you, doctor." Emily said looking down to see Hotch interlock their fingers "Guess we just needed to be reminded  
of all the memories, good and bad."

"Is there any specific memory that holds dear to you?" Dr. Williams asked.

"One." Emily said smirking as she looked down at their hands.

_"Hotch"_ Morgan called out,_ "Brantley said you took him down solo."_

_"He wasn't far behind me."_ Hotch commented.

_"You know you should have waited for back up."_ Morgan said.

_"Would you have?"_ Hotch asked.

Morgan looked over at the unsub in the back of the squad car then walked away.

_"What?"_ Hotch said coyly as he walked away.

_"Nothing."_ Emily said impressed.

Hotch looked over seeing her stare at their connected hands and he remembered a certain memory, one that helped him.

Walking into his apartment Hotch flicked on the light, dropping his go bag and briefcase.

_"You didn't have to walk me up here, you know."_ Hotch said walking over to set the alarm.

_"I know"_ Emily said closing the door,_ "So do you think Call's going to be ok?"_

_"I don't know."_ Hotch said turning around to look at her.

_"He got his answers" _Emily said_ "He killed the man who haunted him."_

_"Then what else is_ _there?"_ Hotch asked.

_"Years of tortures."_ Emily said.

_"Think he'll get over that?"_ Hotch asked.

_"How could he?"_ Emily asked_ "But at least he doesn't have to feel like he's alone anymore."_

_"He doesn't have anyone."_ Hotch said.

_"He has Tommy."_ Emily reminded him _"He's not alone."_

Turning to walk out the door, _"Get some sleep."_ Emily told him.

"You too." Hotch said walking to close and lock the door, returning to his alarm system.

"Sounds like you two are on the path to a great life" Dr. Williams said observing the two "Remember after everything you both had been through individually it's a wonder you both came out whole."

Emily turned and looked at Hotch, "I love you, Aaron."

"Emily, I want to ask you something" Hotch said seeing the look on her face, "Will you marry me?"

Emily smiled, "Yes."

Hotch scooted over to Emily and kissed her, both pulled apart hearing the doctor clear his throat.

"Sorry." Hotch said "Bet you don't see this kind of thing in your office."

"No" Dr. Williams said smiling, "But I do enjoy seeing happy endings."

Looking at the clock, "We still have time left on our session" Emily observed when Hotch pulled her towards the door.

"Charge it to our bill." Hotch shouted over his shoulder "I need to get that ring."

Dr. Williams picked up his pen, shaking his head he wrote 'crazy couple but perfect for each other'.

* * *

Oscar Wilde said, "Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us."

* * *

**The End**

See the review box down below? Yeah, that one right there. It's a distant cousin of the Pillsbury Dough Boy, give it a nudge maybe it'll giggle too.


	6. All Tied Up

**Lean On Me**

Disclaimer: CBS owns Criminal Minds, alright?

Summary: A very tired Hotch returns home to a surprise...

A/N: Here's a short filler chapter while I work out the kinks (no pun intended) on some of my other stories.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to review.

* * *

"A dame that knows the ropes isn't likely to get tied up." Mae West

* * *

Hotch pulled out his key ring of his pocket, yawned as he put the key in the lock and heard it click open.

Rubbing his eyes, Hotch pushed open the door with a wary look as her scanned the room.

Frowning he saw the lights were all off but candles lit up, and flowers petals all across the floor from the living room towards his bedroom.

"Emily?" Hotch called out, "Emily?"

"Shh" Emily's voice called out, "Don't talk. Come in here."

Smiling Hotch walked over to the kitchen and saw Emily standing by the breakfast table.

"Hey" Hotch said smiling at the romantic setting, he saw the table set with a small intimate dinner "What's all this?"

Walking up to Hotch, Emily wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss, "This is dinner."

"Well I see that" Hotch said lightly "But what's the special occasion?"

Pulling Hotch into a deeper kiss, "I've seen how stressed you've been the last few weeks, and" Emily said kissing his chin, "I thought that you needed a break from reality, if only for a little while."

Holding her tight against him, "That is so sweet." Hotch whispered in her ear, "And this looks great, what is it?"

Pulling him close to the table, "I decided that you have gotten far too skinny for my taste."

"Huh?" Hotch asked sitting down at the table as she put a plate of food together, "Skinny?"

"Mm hmm," Emily said lightly, "You know how much I love you, but our work load left us with little time and I've notice the past few weeks that you've skipped some meals and barely ate anything healthy."

Shaking his head, "I know, I've tried but life on the road." Hotch said, "Fast food and junk food, I know."

Hotch inhaled the pork chops in front of him, "You cooked this? This looks great."

"I do know how to cook without burning anything," Emily said with a raised eyebrow, "Now eat up, I like my men fat."

Chuckling, "Really?" Hotch said devouring the green beans and corn on his plate then salivating over the meat.

Emily felt a sense of relief when he finished everything on his plate in less than fifteen minutes.

"That was..." Hotch said wiping his mouth, "Wow."

Covering her hand with her mouth, "You know that's the same thing you say after we roll around in the sack."

Giving her a mock glare, "Well you know that old saying don't you? Every man wants a woman should be a chef in the kitchen, a maid in the living room and a whore in the bedroom."

Emily's jaw dropped at that, to which he chuckled, "And you my dear are all three."

Shaking her head, "Keep talking like that and you won't get your dessert."

"What dessert?" Hotch asked with a coy smile on his lips.

Looking at his empty plate, "Do you want seconds?" Emily asked nodding towards the plate.

"Nope" Hotch said lightly, "Now what's for dessert?"

Emily was about to point tell him, when he grabbed her waist pulling her to him while she chuckled.

"I already know what's for dessert," he smooth tone teased, nipping on the side of her neck, "And I demand seconds and thirds..."

Wrapping his arm around the brunette, he pulled her over to the couch content with spending alone time with her.

The couple enjoyed their time together, knowing that once they were with each other they had all the time in the world.

* * *

"We loved with a loved that was more than love." Edgar Allan Poe

* * *

**THE END **

Well, this really is the final chapter. Sorry to those who were disappointed that their was no ba chicka wa wa in this chapter, but hey that's life.

Hope you all still enjoyed this, don't forget to leave a review.


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